China criticizes Taiwan in air route row

China has rebuffed Taiwan's protest on the mainland opening new air routes above the Taiwan Strait. The row has led to Chinese airlines being unable to run extra flights to and from Taiwan for next month's Lunar New Year.

China began operating the new route this month. It did not consult Taiwanese authorities beforehand.

On Tuesday, 2 Chinese airlines said their requests for a total of 176 round-trip flights had been denied by Taiwanese authorities.

They said the flight cancellations would affect about 50,000 people planning to travel to Taiwan over the holidays.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for China's Taiw an Affairs Office of the State Council, on Wednesday criticized Taiwan authorities for denying Taiwanese in China the right to go home for the holidays.

He added the Chinese government will make sure that Taiwanese who cannot travel will be able to ring in a good New Year.

Taiwan has asked China for discussions on air routes, saying it cannot compromise on matters concerning air safety.

Ma rejected the request, saying there's nothing to talk about because the safety of China's air routes meets international standards.